Rotary engine.



PATENTBD Nov. 3, V1903'.v

R. BARNHART.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLIGAToN FILED JULY 29,1903.

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PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

R. L. BARNHART.' ROTARY ENGINE. APPLIOATION IV'ILBD JULY 29, 1903.

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UNITED STATES Patented November 3, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,135, dated November 3, 1903.

Application filed July 29, 1903. Serial No. 167,421. (No model.)

This invention relates to improvements in rotary engines, and has particular application to a novel form of motor of the type referred to, designed to be driven by air, gas, steam or similar expansive uid, and is an improvement on my prior patent, No. 705,897, dated July 29, 1902.

In carrying out the present invention I form themechanism in two sections, an upper motor-section and a lower motor-section, rigidly connected by a shaft of any desired character, and connect the sections by a suitable pipe or tube, and I also provide such sections with suitable inlet and exhaust valves, the primary object being to obtain a maximum amount of pressure in each motor in such manner that said motors will be driven in the same direcpower-shaft that the energy of the engine may be transferred to a suitable point with but little diminution.

With the above-recited objects and others of a similar nature in view my invention consists in the construction, combination, and

arrangement of parts as is described inthis specification, delineated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the appended claims. t

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar charactersV of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in sectionand partly in side elevation, of a motor embodying my invention, a portion of the casing being removed, the View being taken approximately on the line' 1 l of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, the connections leading to the motor-casi ng from the pressuresupply tank being omitted. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the casing for the sections and the connections therefor. Fig. 4 is a top view of my im proved rotary motor. Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional View taken through one of the motor-sections and its connections; and Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the sections of my improved motor, illustrating the passage therethrough of the operating fluid.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings in detail, the letter A designates any suitable casing, having extended therethrough and journaled therein a main power-shaftB. Secured to the shaft is a wheel C, having its periphery formed with cogs or teeth c for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

Jointed to the front end of the wheel-casing and communicating therewith is a second casing 5, substantially cylindrical in cross-section and having an enlarged chamber formed at each end thereof, the upper of said chambers being designated by the numeral 6, while the lower chamber is indicated by 7. Extending through the aforesaid casing 5 and having bearings for its end portions in the chambers 6 7 is a shaft 8, having its central portion provided with a worm 9, intermeshing with the teeth or cogs of the wheel C, so that when said shaft is rotated, as hereinafter set forth, the wheel will also be revolved, thereby transmitting power to the shaft B, from whence it may be conveyed to any desired point. For the sake of having as little friction as possible upon the worm-shaft 8 the ends of said shaft rest upon ball-bearings, as shown at l0 1l, said bearings lying in boxes secured to the sides of the chambers 6 7.

Mounted upon the shaft 8 at the ends thereof and Within the chambers 6 7 are the rotary drums or wheels 12 13, which for the sake of 'convenience I will hereinafter term the upper motor and the lower motor. These wheels or motors are provided circumferentially with chambers or cups of any suitable character designed to receive the impact or pressure of the operating charge.

A chamber or tank D is provided for the iiuid by which the motors are driven, said FOO uid being supplied to one of the chamberssuch, for instance, as the chamber (t3- through the medium of a conduit or pipe 14. The end of the pipe terminates in a channel 15 of the chamber, from which channel relatively short tubular jets 16 convey the charge inward to the chambers or cups of the motor. From the main pipe 14 a branch tube 17 of approximately the same diameter as the pipe 14 leads down to the channel 18 of the lower chamber 7, the construction of the chambers being identical, and the charge from the channel 18 is admitted to the motor 13 through the small jets 19. The charge which is admitted from the pipe 14 through the channel 15 and tubular jets 16 to the motor 12 is designed to pass around with the latter through the relief- Valve 20into the auxiliary chamber 20b,thence through the communicating pipe or tube 21 to the lower chamber 7, passing in through jets 22, arranged opposite the tubular jets 19, and around with the motor-wheel 13, then escaping through the exhaust 23. Ther exhaust 23 is controlled through the medium ofa valve 24, connected to an angular arm 25, the end 26 of said arm being in turn secured to the bell-crank lever 27, which latter is actuated from any suitable point through the medium of an operating-rod 28. If it is desired to reverse the direction of the charge through an engine-that is to say, admit the same initially into the lower motor 7 and pass it upward through the tube or pipe 21 to the upper motor G-the exhaust-port 23 of the lower motor is closed through the valve mechanism andits Connectionsjust described,

j and the charge is directed down through the pipe 17, passing through the channel 18 and jets 19 around the motor and through the relief-valve 20 into the auxiliary chamber 2Oc and thence through the pipe 21 to the motor 12, escaping from the chamber through the exhaust-port 29, which port has been opened for the purpose. In order to direct the charge through the pipe 17, the stop-valve 30 of the pipe 14 is turned to shut off the flow of the charge into the chamber 6, this being accomplished by the rod 3l, pivoted to one end of a lever 32, the opposite end of said lever being secured to the actuating-rod 33 ot' a slidevalve 34, which valve is designed to close the entrance to the exhaust-port 29 of the chamber 6.

From the above description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the operation of the motor will be readily apparent. As the charge passes from the tank D to one of the motor-chambers-for instance, the lowermost of said chambers-the exhaust 23 is closed to prevent the charge issuing therefrom, and the latter after driving the motor travels through the pipe 21 into the uppermost chamber and after passing around the motor escapes through the exhaust, which is now open. If the charge is to be admitted to the uppermost of the chambers first, the exhaust of such chamber will be closed, while that ofthe lower chamber will be open, and the reverse of the operation just described takes place.

While I have herein shown and described one particular embodiment of my invention, it is of course to be understood that I do not limit myself to all the precise details of construction, as there may be modifications and variations in certain respects without departing from the essential features of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof. A

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination of a casing, a shaft journaled therein, a plurality of motors carried by said shaft, a chamber formed in said casing for each motor, means for admitting a charge under pressure to one of said chambers, auxiliary chambers connected by ports with the motor-chambers, a passage connecting the auxiliary chambers, relief-valves controlling the ports between the motor and auxiliary chambers, and means for reversing the direction of the charge.

2. The combination of a casing, having chambers formed therein,a motor within each chamber and a channel connected with each chamber and forming an inlet-port, means for admitting a charge under pressure to the inlet-port of one of said chambers, auxiliary chambers connected by ports with the motorchambers, means for conducting the charge from the auxiliary chamber of one motor to that of the other, relief-valves controlling the ports between the motor and auxiliary chambers, and means for reversing the direction of the charge.

3. A rotary engine comprising a shaft, a plurality of motor-wheels on said shaft,cham bers for said wheels, an inlet and an exhaust port for each of said chambers, valves controlling the said ports, and a connection between the inlet and exhaust valve of each chamber and arranged to close the exhaustvalve of said chamber when the inlet-valve is opened.

4. The combination with a casing having chambers formed therein, of a motor-wheel within each of said chambers, an inlet and an exhaust port for each of said chambers, valves controlling said ports, a connection between the inlet and exhaust valve of each chamber and arranged to close the exhaustvalve of the chamber when the inlet-valve is opened, means for conducting the charge from one of said chambers to a secondchamber, means for operating the valves of said chambers to control the direction of the charge, a shaft connecting said motor-wheels and adapted to be driven thereby, and means actuated by said shaft for transmitting motion to any suitable point.

5. The combination with a power-transmit-` ting device includinga gear-wheel,of ascrewshaft intermeshing with said gear- Wheel,

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chambers forming bearings for the ends of the shaft,awheelmotor mounted on the shaft within each chamber, means for conducting a charge under pressure to the motor within one of said chambers, a valve controlling the admission of the charge to said chamber, conducting means for directing the charge to the motor in a second chamber, an exhaust-port for the charge leading from said second chamber, and a valve for controlling said exhaustport.

6. A rotary engine comprising a shaft, a plurality of motor-wheels on said shaft,cham bers for said Wheels, a channel on the periphery of each of said chambers forming an inlet-port for the same, a series of short tubular ports connecting each channel with the chamber, an exhaust-port for each of said chambers, valves controlling said ports, and means for directing the charge from one chamber to another, substantially as set forth.

7. A rotary engine comprising a plurality of motors adapted to rotate, a chamber for each of said motors, an inlet-port in each of said chambers for admitting a charge to the motor, an outlet-port in each of the chambers for the exhaust of the charge, valves for each of said ports, means connected to the valves for operating the latter to control the direction ofthe charge and means for directing the charge from one chamber to another, the said means comprising auxiliary chambers connected by ports with the motor-chambers, relief-valves controlling said ports, and a passage connecting said auxiliary chambers.

8. A rotary engine comprising a plurality of rotary motor-wheels, a chamber for each of said wheels, means, including a pipe, for supplying a charge to one of lsaid wheels, a valve for said pipe, a branch pipe leading from the first-mentioned pipe for directing a charge to a second of said Wheels, a valve for said branch pipe, an exhaust-port formed in each of the chambers, valves controlling said exhaust-ports, levers connected with and adapted to operate the valves of the pipes, means connected with one end of said levers for ac` tuating `the same, and means connecting the other ends of said levers with the exhaustvalves of the chambers.

p 9. Arotaryenginecomprisingan upperand a lower rotary motor-wheel, a chamber for each of said wheels, means including a pipe, for supplying a charge to the upper wheelchamber, a valve for said pipe, a branch pipe leading from the first-mentioned pipe for directing a charge to the lower wheel-chamber, a valve for said branch pipe, an exhaust-port for each of said chambers, valves controlling said exhaust-ports, an angular arm connected with the exhaust-valve of the lower Wheelchamber, a bell-crank lever connected with said arm, the said bell-crank lever being connected with the valve of said branch pipe, a lever connected with the valve of the pipe leading to the upper wheel-chamber, a connection between said lever and the exhaustvalve for the upper chamber, and means for actuating the levers, as set forth.

l0. A rotary engine comprising a plurality of motors, adapted to rotate in the same direction, a chamber for each of said motors, channels forming inlet-ports for each of said chambers,^short tubular ports for directing the charge from said channels into said chambers, an auxiliary chamber,`connected with each motor-chamber and through which the charge passes from one motor-chamber to the other, a passage connecting said auxiliary chambers, relief-valves controlling passages between the motor-chamber and said auxiliary chambers, an exhaust-port for each of said motor-chambers, valves controlling said exhaust-ports, means for admitting a charge under pressure to the inlet-port of one of said motor-chambers, and means for reversing the direction of the charge.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. ROBERT LESSLEY BARNHART.

Witnesses:

FRANK FLICKINGER, GEO. W. MIGHT. 

